The Drug Purse

A chat with singer/guitarist Jason Freet

on December 27, 2007

Some holidays have a higher purpose. Thanksgiving, yes; Memorial Day, yes; Christmas, yes. These days are supposed to inspire some sort of personal reflection or appreciation or spirit of giving or love of mankind. Then there are the holidays that are just for the hell of it. New Year’s Eve falls into the second category, my friend. Whether you’re a drinker or not, a stay up late-r or a go to bed early-r, you must admit this is a day you should at least consider celebrating. And if you must celebrate, and you must not attend a dull, predictable party, then check out The Stereo Lounge’s New Year’s Eve bash. Scheduled to rock in the new year are The Drug Purse, Durango 95 and Return of the Bison.



The Weekly Volcano caught up with The Drug Purse singer/guitarist Jason Freet before his New Year’s Eve show.



WEEKLY VOLCANO: We were thrilled to hear The Drug Purse fired back up.



JASON FREET:
We are back together once again. Since the band began back in June 2006, we’ve had four members come and go. Tarek Wegner, Joshua Vega and myself have been the staples. We are currently working with Gilbert Clapp (the Shadow People) on drums.



WV:
Have you changed your sound?



FREET:
We are working on new stuff, but we’re still keeping it simple. We enjoy our 1-3 chord songs — a mantra of chords. We rarely deviate from a rhythmic cycle of chords, bass and percussion. Joshua is the traveler on lead guitar. He has permission to explore beyond the sequence as long as he writes home from time to time.



WV:
Like a repetitive hook?



FREET:
Though we all truly love the refreshing dynamics that music can offer the human body and soul, The Drug Purse uses blatant repetition to create a mood. Like the last 10 seconds of “Jumpin Jack Flash” by the Stones: a very simple cycle that screws your mind while it slowly fades away — and you want it to keep going, forever.



The premise of simple repetition does something, and it only ends when that something is ready to end. It is the oldest and most natural approach.



WV:
Does it get monotonous?



FREET:
It opens a large window for musical improv and shenanigans. We don’t have to focus on a “change” and certainly not the concept of an “end” — it comes when it comes.



WV:
How does the audience respond?



FREET: Many find this approach to be dismal, boring and unappealing. That’s just fine with us. Applying this to a live situation can be very hit-or-miss. The band is going to feel it no matter what, but, at some point we have to decide if:

a) the audience is feeling it, so let’s keep going, or, b) the audience fell asleep, so let’s keep going. But we really enjoy playing live so we’ll continue.



The Weekly Volcano is totally hypnotized. Check it out Saturday at Bob’s Java Jive or New Year’s Eve at The Stereo Lounge.



[Bob’s Java Jive, with The Freakouts, Jo Jo F and his Girlfriends and guests, Saturday, Dec. 29, 9 p.m., 2102 S. Tacoma Way, Tacoma, 253.475.9843]



[The Stereo Lounge, with Durango 95, Return of the Bison, Monday, Dec. 31, 10 p.m., all ages, $3, 743 St. Helens Ave., Tacoma, www.myspace.com/thedrugpurse]